Paris Is Burning
Director: Jennie Livingston Run Time: 71 min. Release Year: 1991
Starring: Andre Christian, Brooke Xtravaganza, Carmen Xtravaganza, Dorian Corey, Paris Dupree
Stay after for a post-film discussion with trans historian Juniper Oxford and Marina Brown.
Handpicked short to open the film!
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
Film sponsored by Vermont Youth Documentary Lab.